Virginia Giuffre's father insists she didn't die by suicide: ‘Somebody got to her'
Grieving his daughter's death on Thursday, Sky Roberts refuted his family's claim that Giuffre — the most prominent victim of the disgraced financier — could have taken her own life.
'No way,' Roberts said on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored.' 'I can't believe that this is happening. It's just, it's impossible.'
Advertisement
'And then for them to say that she committed suicide, there's no way that she did. Somebody got to her.'
Giuffre, 41, was found dead in her home in Neergabby, Australia, last week, with her family confirming that she had committed suicide and left a note behind with a final message for sexual abuse survivors.
Roberts said he continues to sob over his daughter's death, describing Giuffre as a survivor who stood strong for others despite the horrors she experienced when she was a teenager taken by Epstein.
Advertisement
'As someone who actually got out of a bad situation and made a good situation out of it, that she was helping a lot of other young girls that were feeling the pain of what goes on with people like that… I think she's strong, very strong, and that's why I don't think she committed suicide,' Roberts said.
'She had too much to live for. She had her foundation,' he added, referencing Giuffre's advocacy work.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
5 days ago
- The Hill
Maxwell brother ‘grateful' for ‘positive' Trump statement about her
Ian Maxwell, the brother of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's charged co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, said he was 'grateful' for the 'positive' statement President Trump made about his sister in 2020. He was first asked on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored,' if Maxwell, who was arrested in 2020 and convicted on sex trafficking charges in 2022 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, 'pulled the wool over your eyes' related to her involvement in Epstein's alleged crimes. 'No, I believe my sister. I've known her 60 years, Piers. You know, I'm not going to suddenly say she started pulling the wool. I don't think so,' he told host Piers Morgan on Tuesday. 'I don't believe so. Not for a second.' Ian Maxwell in his remarks said Trump showed 'humanity' after offering the 'positive' statement about his sister. 'And I don't think that anyone else showed the slightest piece of humanity, not anybody at that time, and yet he did. He didn't need to. He's the president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world,' Maxwell said on Tuesday. 'He could've just sloughed it off. He didn't. He made a positive statement. I am very grateful to that and I know Ghislaine was too.' Trump was asked during a press briefing about the embattled socialite in July 2020, who was at the time awaiting trial, if she is 'going to turn in powerful men.' 'I haven't really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach. And I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well,' Trump said at the time. The Trump administration is working to tamp down the controversy around the Epstein case, particularly after the FBI and the Justice Department (DOJ) said in a joint, unsigned memo that the disgraced financier did not keep the so-called 'client list' and that he died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019. DOJ, after being ordered by Trump, asked the federal courrt last week to unseal grand jury testimony from prosecutions of both Epstein and Maxwell. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche ' communicated ' with Maxwell's attorney to figure out if she would be willing to talk to DOJ prosecutors. A House Oversight subcommittee on Tuesday also moved to subpoena Maxwell as pressure for the Trump administration to be more transparency intensifies.
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Woman arrested for hate crime, allegedly set Novato church on fire
A Santa Clara woman was arrested for allegedly setting a Novato church on fire over the weekend in what authorities said was a hate crime. The fire was first reported on Saturday at 6:30 a.m at North Bay Christ Church on Redwood Boulevard, with witnesses saying that they had seen a woman walking away from the fire, police said. The suspect was identified as 61-year-old Denise Roberts, who authorities said admitted that religious bias motivated her decision to start the fire. As flames reached close to 10 feet in height, multiple structures, including a nativity scene, Star of David and cross were burned, authorities said. Novato fire personnel soon arrived to put out the blaze. Roberts was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail, authorities said.
The Hill
14-07-2025
- The Hill
The safety and security of US judges must be a bipartisan priority
It should go without saying that violence against those fulfilling their civic duty is abhorrent. The recent assassination of a state lawmaker in Minnesota demonstrates that such reminders must sadly be issued. In recent years, federal and state judges, along with their family members, have also experienced increasing threats and acts of violence. In his '2024 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary,' Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts astutely noted a need for increased safety for federal judges, referencing the tragic murders of federal judges Richard Daronco and Robert Smith Vance, and in more recent years the killing of Daniel Anderl, who was murdered by a man targeting his mother, federal Judge Esther Salas. 'There is of course no place for violence directed at judges for doing their job,' Roberts wrote. Yet, threats of violence are unfortunately growing every year. According to U.S. Marshals Service statistics, threats aimed at judges have more than tripled over the past decade. In the past five years alone, there have been 'more than 1,000 serious threats against federal judges,' according to Roberts's report. Because of this, the federal judiciary is asking for a 19 percent increase in funding for safety for the 2026 fiscal year. This is not an unreasonable request, given security funding has remained flat for two straight years, despite the escalating threats. The funding is needed not only to safeguard our judges but our justice system. 'The independence of the judicial branch is jeopardized when judges are threatened with harm or impeachment for their rulings,' Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr., director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and secretary of the Judicial Conference, stated in a May congressional hearing. 'Our constitutional system depends on judges who can make decisions free from threats and intimidation. This is essential not just for the safety of judges and their families, but also to protect our democracy.' Despite the blatant acts of brutality, and an outcry from the Chief Justice, the judiciary is battling for its own protection. Fearmongering and intimidation tactics against judges are growing across social media platforms, often incited by leaders from the co-equal branches of government. At a time when political violence is only worsening, it is evident that the responsibility to protect the judiciary has fallen on those who have served and those who are willing to help. Organizations such as Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Common Cause and Protect Democracy recently joined together to sign a letter to the House and Senate appropriations committees urging legislators to protect the judiciary, one strong example of efforts being taken to protect federal judges. We, as retired judges, must act. That is why Keep Our Republic's Article III Coalition — a group of more than 40 retired federal judges — comes at an essential moment in our country's history. We must advocate for the safety of our fellow judges, families and our democracy. As the legitimacy of judicial orders, and judges themselves, are increasingly questioned, we must remind the nation why the role of an independent judiciary — free from the fear of violence — is foundational to our democracy. There is a reason that judges' constitutional oath requires that we decide cases without 'fear or favor.' Favor is immediately clear. A judge biased towards one party cannot dispense justice. But fear too impedes the independence of a judge. A judge that is afraid a ruling may elicit violent retribution cannot act impartially. As Roberts concluded in his 2024 report, 'violence, intimidation, and defiance directed at judges because of their work undermine our republic and are wholly unacceptable.' Congress must adequately fund the judiciary to ensure both the safety of judges and the health of our democracy.
